Investigation Finds Hertz Wrongfully Reported Vehicles as Stolen
One customer who was falsely accused of stealing her Hertz rental vehicle was awarded $100,000 dollars in damages by a civil jury.

Civil attorney Francis Alexander says Hertz has a history of wrongly reporting vehicles as stolen. Photo: Public Domain Pictures
Photo via Luctheo/Pixabay.
Hertz is being forced to pay $100,000 to former customers after falsely reporting some of its rented vehicles stolen around Philadelphia.
An investigative reports by ABC 6 found at least six customers who had their rental cars reported stolen by the company, despite being customers and up to date on their payments.
Some customers were arrested for grand theft auto following Hertz’s mistaken reporting, spending weeks in jail while Hertz tried to proceed with criminal charges. In one case, Hertz refused to drop the false charges until a judge tossed the case.
Civil attorney Francis Alexander says the car rental company has a history of wrongly reporting vehicles as stolen, citing case examples from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Texas, and Indiana.
Related: Avis Sued for False Grand Theft Auto Charges
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